THE PROPOSITION

THE PROPOSITION

"What are you suggesting?" I asked warily, my voice barely steady.

Damian's dark eyes held mine with an intensity that made my breath catch.

"Marry me."

I froze. I won't lie and say I didn't suspect something like this. But I hadn't thought he meant something as big as marriage.

The words hung in the air between us.

For a moment, I just stared at him. Then I laughed. The sound was sharp and disbelieving.

"You're insane." I shook my head and pulled away from him.

"I might be, but I'm also being practical," Damian corrected, taking a step closer to me. It was like he couldn't stand being faraway from me. One step backwards from me, five step forwards from him. He was not ready to give me space. "You need protection from Lucas and your family. I need a wife to claim my inheritance. My father's will stipulates marriage. It's mutually beneficial."

I blinked at him. "Your father's will?"

"He died two years ago," Damian said flatly. "Left everything split between Lucas and me, with conditions. Lucas got CEO of Cole Enterprises outright. I got the hotels, the overseas investments, the real estate holdings. But only if I'm married by my thirty-fifth birthday."

"When's your birthday?"

"Three months from now."

I shook my head, trying to process this. "So you want to marry me because of money?"

"I want to marry you because we both need something from each other," Damian said. "I need a wife. You need protection. It's a business arrangement."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." I turned away from him, needing distance. Needing to think clearly without his presence clouding my judgment.

But Damian caught my wrist.

The touch sent electricity up my arm. I tried to pull away but his grip was firm.

"Is it ridiculous?" Damian asked quietly. "Think about it, Scarlet. Really think about it. A stable two-parent household makes custody battles significantly harder for Lucas. Financial security means the best lawyers money can buy. Legal protection means he can't touch you or Jace."

"I don't need your money," I said, finally wrenching my arm free. "I've done fine on my own."

"Have you?"

The challenge in his voice made me turn back to face him.

"You're alone in a city that destroyed you," Damian continued, his voice maddeningly calm. "With a child Lucas suspects is his. No support system. No family backing. No legal protections in place." He paused. "How long before he files for custody? A week? Two?"

The words hit like physical blows because he was right.

Lucas had seen Jace. Had seen the resemblance. It was only a matter of time before he put the pieces together completely.

And when he did, he would come after us with everything he had.

"A marriage certificate changes the optics entirely," Damian said. "Single mother who hid a child from his father? That's a difficult legal position. Married woman in a stable household? Much stronger case."

I wanted to argue. Wanted to find a flaw in his logic.

But I couldn't.

Or maybe I could. He was my Ex's brother!

"My father was very specific in his will," Damian continued. "The marriage has to be legal and last at least eighteen months. After that, if we choose to divorce, I keep everything. No prenup complications. No messy settlements."

"Eighteen months," I repeated.

"Eighteen months of protection for you and Jace. Eighteen months where Lucas can't touch you legally. And at the end, you walk away with enough money to start fresh anywhere you want."

It sounded too good to be true.

Which meant it probably was.

"What's the catch?" I asked.

"No catch. Just terms we both agree to." Damian pulled out his phone, tapping quickly. "I had my lawyers draw up a preliminary contract. Separate bedrooms. Minimal public appearances. Your career continues uninterrupted. I don't interfere with your parenting."

He held out the phone to me.

I didn't take it.

"Why me?" I asked instead. "You could marry anyone. There are probably dozens of women who would jump at the chance to be Mrs. Damian Cole."

Something flickered across his face. "But they're not you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I trust you," Damian said simply. "I know you won't try to extend the arrangement beyond the agreed terms. I know you won't develop feelings that complicate things. And I know you need this as much as I do."

The words should have been reassuring. He'd just told me he trusted me. He's just confirmed this was just a business abd there were no expectation for any complicated feelings

Instead, they felt strangely hollow.

Because maybe that wasn't what I wanted to hear.

"You're asking me to enter another loveless marriage," I said quietly. "Do you know how that feels? To wake up every day next to someone who sees you as a means to an end?"

"This would be different," Damian said. "This time, you'd know exactly what it is from the start. No false promises. No shattered expectations. Just a business arrangement that benefits us both."

"And what about Jace? You expect him to just accept a random man as his stepfather?"

"I'm not trying to replace anyone. I'm offering protection for both of you." Damian's expression softened slightly. "I meant what I said. I don't interfere with your parenting. I'm not trying to be his father. Just someone in his corner."

I looked away from him, my mind racing.

No. This was dangerous. Nothing between me and dangerous could just be "normal". Getting married to him was more complicated than how he put it? Business he said. I scoffed internally.

Did he think I was a fool? That I didn't notice the desire in his eyes. The same want that glowed through my blood...

It was insane. Completely insane. But at the same time it made sense. Damian was just as powerful as Lucas... even more. It would serve me well.

The proposal was absurd, but so was facing Lucas.

"I need to think," I said finally.

"Of course."

"And I have conditions. If I were to even consider this, which I'm not saying I am, I would have conditions."

"Name them."